Illegal Gambling and Its Operation via the Darknet and Bitcoin: An Application of Routine Activity Theory

<p>For many years the Darknet and Bitcoins have been widely utilized by people who wish to anonymously perform illegal activities in cyberspace. Having already been restricted in many countries, the gambling websites utilizing Bitcoin payments and the Darknet allow online users to freely engage in illegal gambling activities with the absence of a formal capable guardian. Although it is an urgent priority that law enforcement find a solution to the pressing issue, there are a few empirical studies focusing on such illegal gambling website. Due to the scarcity of studies in this area, the current study attempts to examine the characteristics and the operations of the online gambling websites on both the Darknet and surface web which allow Bitcoin payments. The findings suggest that both websites on the Surface Web and Darknet have similar and distinctive features that attract and encourage online users to engage in extensive illegal gambling activities and potentially other illegal activities as well. The study concludes with policy recommendations to remedy the contemporary issues of online gambling.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Criminal Justice

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Choi, Sinyong

Contributors dc:contributor

• <p>Kyung-shick Choi (chair)</p> <p>Khadija Monk</p> <p>Robert Grantham</p>

• Criminology
• Bitcoin
• Darknet
• Cybercrime
• Online gambling
• Illegal gambling
• Tor

Repository record dc:identifier

https://vc.bridgew.edu/theses/64

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vc.bridgew.edu:theses-1064